Pony species
In keeping with the greater continuity of the My Little Pony franchise, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic depicts multiple "races" or "species" of pony, each with different powers and abilities. Though the Royal Family species appear to be the exclusive rulers, it is not known if there is a correlation between being of the species and ruling Equestria. The various species exist in harmony, and do not appear to have ever had strife over their differences. Pony reproduction is presumably identical to equestrian production in the real world. Though typically, a family is of consistent species, such traits do not appear to be totally hereditary - the ultimate proof of this is the Cake Family, in which two Earth ponies produced twins, a unicorn and a pegasus. There are a few other animals with consistent sentience and intelligence comparable to ponies, including cows, mules, donkeys, griffons, and zebra. =Earth Pony= Earth ponies are "normal" ponies, so to speak, with no "special" endowments or abilities. Earth ponies are often very down-to-earth and practical, though this is not a rigid rule. =Unicorn= Unicorns are equipped with horns which allow them to excercise magical powers. For most unicorns, this includes the ability to manipulate various objects with precision, as if using an invisible pair of hands.Twilight Sparkle states in Call of the Cutie that for most unicorns, the extent of one's magical ability is usually some sort of power assosciated with one's "special talent", as dictated by their cutie mark; however, some ponies have the capacity for much greater power, particularly Twilight herself, whose special talent is magic itself. Exerting magic is much like using a muscle and can be exhausting if done heavily or continuously. Because of their ability to operate with enhanced precision, Unicorns are typically the most cultured and/or artistic ponies in Equestria, and are at the forefront of academia, given that magic is intertwined with science there. =Pegasus= Pegasi are equipped with wings, enabling them to fly and support themselves on clouds. Because of this, the place of the pegasus in the Equestrian Life Cycle is mainly to produce and operate weather, which is accomplished through the airborne commune Cloudsdale. Flying is by far the most popular sport in Equestria, leading the archetypal pegasus to be characterized as athletic and/or competitive, though this is not a rigid rule. =Royal Family= Royal Family ponies - of which there are three thus far, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance - appear to combine traits of all three species - they are equipped with wings and horns, and are endowed with heavily increased stature, to the point where Celestia is nearly twice the size of most ponies in Equestria. It is unclear how this species originated, given that none of Equestria's founders had this combination of traits. =Crystal Pony= Crystal ponies are an ancient race that exists exclusively in the enchanted Crystal City in the northernmost regions of Equestria. They appear as earth ponies, with the distinction that the reflective spots on their pupils are hexagonal, unlike the ellipse typical of other ponies. Crystal ponies live under ancient enchantments set over them and the Crystal City; it is unclear to what extent they are citizens of Equestria proper. Category:Encyclopedia Equestria Wiki